Clinical Problem Solving in Micro-Case Management

Abstract

An updated and expanded version of Berven and Scofield's (1980) computer simulation of a clinical scenario in rehabilitation counseling was administered to 65 graduate students in rehabilitation counseling and 30 rehabilitation counseling professionals (criterion group). Cluster analysis of simulation results identified four homogenous groups of graduate students, indicating four different problem-solving approaches: thorough and discriminating, shotgun, constricted, and random. The influence of affective characteristics, as measured by the NEO Five-Factor Inventory and the Repertory Grid Test, on clinical problem-solving behavior was explored; no significant relationships were demonstrated. Implications of the obtained results for future use of computer simulations in rehabilitation counseling education and research were discussed.